Sightings and news to week ending 8 February 2026
Image- Avocets over South Lake
Sunday 8 February
Rushy Hide/Peng Observatory
Two Whooper Swans and 91 Bewick's Swans, female Mandarin duck and first thing this morning, 100 drake and 23 duck Pochard.
Estuary Tower
Two Dark-bellied Brent Geese again on the Dumbles saltmarsh with Shelducks. The juvenile Peregrine has been hunting over regularly with Marsh Harrier passing through. 16 Tundra Bean Geese with accompanying adult Pink-footed Goose, 165 Russian White-fronted Geese with two Barnacle, 300 Dunlin, 600 Lapwing, flocks of Canada, Barnacle and Greylag Geese, Ross's Goose, Snow x Bar-headed and Barnacle x Canada Goose hybrids. The other Pink-footed Goose that spend all year with the Canada Geese had departed but one has re-appeared in Eastville Park in Bristol with the Canada Geese. Five Grey Plover over high tide with two Kittiwake also reported.
Top New Piece
450 Teal, 59 Wigeon, 8 Gadwall.
South Lake
55 Avocet, 54 Black-tailed Godwit, 25 Common Gull with Black-headed and Herring Gulls, 33 drake and 10 duck Pochard.
Tack Piece
An adult Spoonbill was new-in today, first of the year, it was mostly sleeping on the central flood but moved to the Top New Piece later. At least 1570 Golden Plover plus a Sanderling and Little Stint with the Dunlin flock.
Saturday 7 February
Dumbles
2 Fox, 1000+ Golden Plover, 2 Oystercatcher, 1 Curlew, 20 Black tailed Godwit, Feral Barnacle flock, Report of flythrough Merlin
Tack Piece
310 Golden Plover, 15 Bewicks +11 Ox Piece, 500+ Lapwing, 60 Dunlin, 1 Sanderling, 8 Pochard (2f), 28 Redshank, 9 Ruff, 56 Black tailed Godwit, 1 Knot, Large flocks of Wigeon & Teal
Top New Piece
35 Wigeon, 3 Shoveler, 1 Gadwall, 463+, 6 Tufted Duck, 16 Shelduck, 6 Canada geese, 70 Lapwing seen from Zeiss Hide
South Finger Walkway
Small flock of Blue & Great Tits, Treecreeper, Dunnock, Wren & Chaffinches all singing.
Kingfisher Hide
3 Roe Deer ran from Four Score to BNP, 176 White Fronts, 2 Barnacles & 8 Greylags on Four Score
South Finger Reedbed
Water Rail on grass track
Decoy Hide
9 Teal, 5 Shoveler, 14 Tufted Duck, 15 Mallard
South Lake
18 Gadwall, 232 Teal, 38 Tufted, 8 Shelduck, 71 Shoveler, 72 Pochard, 55 Avocet, 59 BH gulls, 2 Herring Gulls, 1 Common Gull, 8 Cormorant, 1 knot
Friday 6 February
Rushy Pen
2 Whooper Swan
Bottom New piece
119 White-fronted Goose plus 2 Barnacle Geese, ~20 flew out to Estuary, 6 Roe Deer.
Estuary Tower
Bit murky but 16 Tundra Bean Goose and Pink-footed Goose, 113 Barnacle Geese, 690 Wigeon, ~150 Teal, 2 Oyster catchers, 1000+ Lapwing, 760 Golden Plover, 150 Dunlin
South Lake
62 Avocet, 187 Teal, 55 Black-Tailed Godwit, 413 Lapwing, 26 Shoveler, 21 Gadwall, 42 male 13 female Pochard, 12 Tufted Duck, 9 Cormorant.
Top New piece
6 Shoveler, 190 Teal, 4 Tufted Duck, 6 Gadwall, 45 Shelduck, 1 Great Black Back gull, 1 Herring gull, 2 Lesser Black Back gull.
Tack Piece
85 Bewick swans, 1380 Golden Plover, 31 Black-tailed Godwit, 265 Dunlin, 32 Redshank, 2 Oyster catchers, 3 Curlew, Ruff, 14 Shelduck, 30 Pochard, 7 Tufted, 18 Shoveler, 1230 Wigeon, ~400 Teal, ~2000 Lapwing. Fox, 2 Roe Deer.
Tin Shed Ground
3 Roe Deer.
Kingfisher Hide
6 Teal, 4 Tufted Duck, 1 Little Grebe, 1 Gadwall, Goldcrest by the hide
Decoy Hide
24 Tufted Duck, 1 Great Egret, 6 Mallard.
Thursday 5 February
South Lake
From Discovery Hide, 85 Teal, 12 Gadwall, 24 Shoveler, 19 Tufted Duck, 49 Pochard, 2 Canada Geese, 2 Herring Gull, 63 Black-headed Gull, 62 Avocet, 67 Black-tailed Godwit, 4 Lapwing, 15 Cormorant. One Knot seen among the Black-tailed Godwit in the afternoon.
Top New Piece
From Zeiss Hide, 1 Great Egret, 3 Shoveler, 340 Teal, 50 Wigeon, 5 Mallard, 8 Canada Geese, 29 Shelduck, 1 Lapwing, 3 Herring Gull and 1 Moorhen.
Kingfisher Hide
On the water there were 12 Teal, 2 Tufted Duck, 3 Coot, 6 Gadwall, 2 Mute Swan, 5 Blue tit, 5 Long-tailed tit and 3 Chaffinch.
Four score
90 Greylag Geese
Bottom new piece
Two Canada Geese, 10 White-fronted Geese, 5 Roe deer.
Rushy Hide/Peng Observatory
Two Whooper Swans with 42 Bewick Swans at 1020hrs, 2 Oystercatcher, 60 Lapwing plus 60 Pochard, 100+ Tufted Ducks and 30 Pintail.
Estuary Tower
70 Bewick's Swans feeding in the Ox Piece (to NE). Marsh Harrier hunting over fields and floods with Peregrine interaction. 16 Tundra Bean Geese, Pink-footed Goose, 19 Russian White-fronted Geese, 800 Golden Plover, 500 Lapwing, 400 Dunlin, 15 Skylark, flocks of Canada, Barnacle and Greylag Geese, 100+ Curlew, 262 Pintail, 400 Wigeon and 300 Teal on the Severn.
Dumbles scrape
318 Wigeon, 96 Teal, 26 Shoveler.
Tack Piece
One Little Stint, 400 Dunlin, 1015 Wigeon, 448 Teal, 7 Pintail, 41 Shoveler plus flocks of Ruff, Redshank, Golden Plover and Lapwing, Raven and Peregrine.
Wednesday 4 February
No sightings of the Jack Snipe from Martin Smith Hide over the last two days.
Rushy Hide/Peng Observatory
Two Whooper Swan (still present at 1030hrs), 12 Bewick's Swan (91 in total with another 79 on Tack Piece), female Mandarin, 20+ Pintail, plus Coot, Moorhen, Lapwing, 2 Oystercatcher, Tufted Duck, Pochard, Shelduck, Mallard and Teal.
Estuary Tower over high tide
Five Grey Plover, 2 Oystercatcher, 200+ Curlew, 12 GBB Gull, 2 Herring Gull, 40 Common Gull, 1000s ducks, 16 Tundra Bean Geese, Pink-footed Goose and 2 Sanderling with Dunlin, 140 Russian White-fronted Geese with 2 accompanying Barnacle Geese on the Dumbles + naturalised flock of Barnacle, and Canada Geese. 8 Skylarks and 9 Linnet plus flyover Meadow Pipit and Siskin.
Tack Piece
In between panics a Little Stint and the two Sanderling have been among the Dunlin, Lapwing, Golden Plover and Black-tailed Godwits, flocks of Wigeon, Teal and Pintail also reacting to hunting Peregrines and other raptors.
South Lake
Two Cattle and Little Egret, 60 Tufted Duck, 64 Avocet, 68 Pochard, 29 Shoveler, 62 Black-tailed Godwit, 6 Common Gull, 24 Gadwall and 500 Lapwing, Siskins and Goldfinches by Sanderson bridge at least 50 Siskins roaming the grounds.
Top New Piece
45 Wigeon, 251 Teal, Great Egret, 44 Shelduck, 4 Shoveler, 83 Lapwing.
Kingfisher Hide
Little Grebe, pair of Mute Swan in the channel, 11 Roe Deer in the fields.
Tuesday 3 February
Tack Piece
Sanderling and Little Stint with up to 830 Dunlin, a few Curlew, 400 Golden Plover, 1000+ Lapwing, 62 Bewick's Swans, Redshanks, Ruff (attaining breeding plumage), Wigeon, Teal, Pintail and Shoveler.
Estuary Tower
Over high tide- Turnstone, 3 Grey Plover, 14 GBB Gull, 200+ Curlew, 9 Oystercatcher on the foreshore over high tide, 230 Dunlin, 500 Lapwing and the usual gathering of geese in the flooded pools and pasture.
Canoe Trail
Forty five Cattle/Little Egrets left the roost.
South Lake
20 Cattle Egret and 2 Little Egret but flew out to canal fields, 29 Shoveler, 28 Shelduck, 80 Tufted Duck, 75 Pochard, 60 Avocet, 500 Lapwing, juvenile Goshawk hunting a Blackbird but missed, flocks of Tufted Duck, Teal and about 10 Gadwall.
Kingfisher Hide
109 (9 juveniles) Russian White-fronted Geese in the Bottom New Piece and 22 (5 juveniles) in the Four Score Ground with Greylag Geese. Little Grebe, Gadwall and teal on the channel.
Monday 2 February
World Wetlands Day
Rushy Hide/Peng Observatory
Pair of Whooper Swans, 7 Bewick's Swans, 35 drake and three duck Pochard, two Oystercatcher, 40 Lapwing, female Mandarin, drake Wigeon plus flocks of Pintail, Mallard, Shelduck.
Estuary Tower
15 Tundra Bean and Pink-footed Goose, 30 R. White-fronted Geese on the 'saltpan', Great Crested Grebe floated past on the tide, 1000s ducks on the Severn, 11 Oystercatcher, 310 Curlew and 13 GBB Gull, Peregrine on the cross fence. Three different Marsh Harriers and later two Peregrines sparring over the reserve.
Kingfisher Hide
Little Grebe, Gadwall and Teal along the channel + 5 Roe Deer.
Top New Piece
300+ Teal, 200+ Lapwing, pair of Stonechat on the BNP fence, 30 Wigeon, Little Grebe.
South Lake
Three Cattle Egret, adult Mediterranean Gull with the Black-headed Gulls and Egyptian Goose in the trees on east side. 46 Avocet, 100+ Black-tailed Godwit, 50 drake 17 duck Pochard, 30 Tufted Duck, Black-headed, Common and Herring Gull, 300 Lapwing.
Bottom New Piece
162 Russian White-fronted Geese and 2 Barnacle Geese.
Tack Piece
A Sanderling called in with the Dunlin, 79 Bewick's Swans, 35m 13f Pochard, 4 Ruff, 34 Redshank, flocks of Lapwing, Wigeon, Teal and Pintail.
Martin Smith Hide
Jack Snipe on the eastern island.
Martin Smith Hide tunnel
Firecrest and Goldcrest feeding in the ivy.
